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Veneering 
AND Inlaying 



A Study of Materials, 
Principles and Processes 



By 

G. M. Nyman 




Published by 

The Woodweird High School Printing Class 
Cincinnati 



Copyright, G. M. Nyman, 1917 



Veneering and Inlaying 



^^ he art of enriching objects by the use of 
vly rare and costly woods in the form of 
Sjgg veneering was known and skilfully em- 
ployed by artisans of a remote age. 

In European museums and, undoubt- 
edly also among collections of antique art in this 
country, curious examples of such work can be 
found. In many instances the veneer is fastened to 
the core with small wooden pegs and from this we 
draw the conclusion that glue was not known at that 
time, at least, not as a medium for fastening veneer 
to the core. The early craftsman method of veneer- 
ing, judging from their work, must have been some- 
what as follows: 

After having cut his veneer to a thickness of 
from Vs" to 14", he held it down on the object to be 
decorated and bored or cut small holes thru the 
veneer and down into the core a short distance. In 
these holes he inserted small pins or pegs made of 
the same material as the veneer. These pegs were 
wedge-shaped, with an elliptical head and concave 
sides coming to a point. When driven home, the 
points were firmly imbedded in the core, thus hold- 
ing the veneer in place. Corners and edges are often 
reinforced with metal, this preventing the veneer 
from being stripped off, as well as serving a decora- 
tive purpose. 



Later on, when the use of glue became known, 
veneering made rapid progress and some of the best 
pieces of antique handed down to us bear mute 
evidence of artistic skill and patience in the employ- 
ment of veneering and inlaying of wood, metal, and 
other materials for surface decoration. 

Some of the furniture known to us as 'Teriod" 
furniture could not have been executed had not the 
old masters known the art of "building up" -gluing 
three or more layers of wood together in such a way 
that the grain in one layer always runs at right 
angles to that of the adjacent layer. 

The employment of veneers forms a very im- 
portant part of the woodworking industries today 
and some knowledge of the processes and principles 
used in this work will benefit all who work in wood 
and use glue. 





/vj?.-^ 



Fig. 4 shows how a simple and pretty form of 
2 



small picture molding can be made where machines 
are available, or by hand. 

The shoe B is rabbeted on the circular saw and 
the desired angle obtained. The mouldings are ripped 
to width, then placed on the shoe and run thru 
planer. This will give moulding the proper shape. 
The best and most economical way of making them is 
to veneer wide boards, which can then be ripped up into 
mouldings of any desired width. Mouldings more 
than six feet long are cumbersome to handle and 
should be cut. 

One thickness of veneer is all that is needed for 
these little mouldings and that is cut in strips across 
the grain Vi" wider than the width of mouldings- 
In cutting, lay sheet of veneer on a board, mark off 
strips and cut after a straight edge with sharp knife 
or chisel. 

If veneer is brittle and has a tendency to split, 
dip a brush in water and dampen the veneer slightly. 
Lay out the strips in the order of cutting, join ends 
and match. 

In matching the aim is either to produce a strip 




of veneer seemingly vvithout joints as in Fig. 6, or 
by turning one of the members over, a matched effect 
is obtained as in Fig. 5. The joints are held togefher 

3 



with paper tape. Long joints are nailed down to a 
board with small brads previous to taping, but short 
joints can be held down with the fingers while the 
paper tape is glued on. When tape is dry, the veneer 
is ready to lay. 

Fig. 1 shows arrangements of mouldings and 
cauls. The center caul is greased and heated while 
glue is applied to the mouldings. The veneers are 
then stretched over the glued mouldings with paper- 
taped joints on the outside. At this stage the center 
caul is taken from its heating place and put between 
mouldings to be veneered — the veneered sides facing 
the warmed caul. The outside cauls are then placed 
and pressure applied. These outside cauls could be 
eliminated on larger mouldings of same type, but are 
used in this instance to assist in even distribution of 
the pressure, and to prevent clamp markings on back 
of mouldings. ^'^ ^ 




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Fig. 2 suggests a moulding without the 
use of center caul. In this and similar cases, 
the mouldings themselves are heated and the 
glue applied to them. The warm moulding 

4 



will absorb considerable glue and this must be taken 
into consideration when glue is spread. Glue can also 
be spread on face veneer but this should be avoided 
if possible. (See chapter on glue.) 

Fig. 3 is a suggestion for a plain flat-round mould- 
ing that will look well when veneered. It is advisable 
to veneer all these little mouldings before glass rab - 
bet is cut, as there is danger of breaking same in the 
veneering if made previous to that. 
To make these and similiar mouldings by hand run 
some 114" screws thru a 1 "board, place the screws 
in line about a foot apart. Then file the protruding 
screw points so they will grip the blank mouldings 
when hammered down on them. The mouldings are 
then planned to the desired shape with a moulding 
plane or in case of the round moulding illustrated, 
an old wooden smoothing plane can be converted 
into a moulding plane and will do good service. 

Built up panels are bought ready made and used 
for different purposes in many school shops, and 
rightly so. However, the value, educationally and 
otherwise, would be far greater if those who use built 
up panels also had a chance to make them and there 
are few schools so poorly equipped that they cannot 
turn out some work of this kind. Take serving tray 
bottoms for example. All that is needed are two 
pieces of 2" surface planking for cauls of the length 
and width of tray contemplated (rarely more than 
15by20j; two face veneers (one for top and one for 
bottom) and a 31-6" poplar or birch core. The grain 
of the latter runs at right angles with the face veneers. 
Heat cauls a little while glue is spread on both sides 
of core, which is then placed between face veneers 

5 



and the whole placed between the greased and heated 
cauls, and pressure applied with heavy hand screws 
or clamps. If the cauls should have warped some 
during the heating, place the convex sides to the 
veener, thus insuring pressure in the center first. 
About a dozen hand screws or clamps will give suffi- 
cient pressure for a panel of the size mentioned above. 
After six hours the hand screws can be removed and 
tray bottom taken out, trimmed to size and inlaid if 
desired. 

To cut grooves for borders in veneered work, 
make a tool like the one sketched in Fig. 7, the 




most important parts of which are the cutters. 
These should be knife pointed so as to cut equally 
well across or with the grain. An old gauge block 
with set-screw arranged as in Fig. 7 will take care of 
the adjustments. 

When face veneer is cut thru, the strips are re- 
moved with a small chisel, borders or lines fitted in 
and glued under pressure. 

It takes three days for a veneered panel to dry 
and it should be kept clamped between sticks during 
this time, so that it will not warp while drying. 

Face veneer is knife cut and smooth to start 
with and it does not take much scraping or sand 
papering to make it ready for finishing. 

6 




Matched panels^ as illustrated in Fig. X, should 
be made five-ply in order to stand up. The gluing 
of a five-ply panel is no more difficult than the three- 
ply previously described. In order to make such a 
panel it is necessary to have four successive cuts of 
veneer from the same log in order to match the face 
veneers. The veneers are then joined, fastened on 
the boards with brads and the joints taped as previ- 
ously described. 

Checker boards are very popular with school 
boys, but if they are glued up of solid blocks without 
any backing, the life of the board will be short, as 
the expansion and contraction will open up the joints. 
Five-ply veneer checker boards have proven to be 
more permanent and are not hard to make. 

Two pieces of veneer, one dark and one light, are 
ripped into eight strips, each ll/2"xl4". It is 



im- 



portant that these strips are of the same width and 
in order to get uniform widths, make a jig for that 
purpose as illustrated in Fig. Y. If a fine power saw 
is available, the strips can be ripped on same. 



Hfn9^ 




Fig^y 



The strips are then alternated, fastened to a 
board with brads and paper tape glued over the 
joints. When dry cut off eight strips across the grain 




(see top of Fig. 8), alternate and tape together again 
as shown. When dry, join edges and mitre borders 
or lines around, fastening same with paper tape to 
the checkers. This finishes the face veneer of checker 
board. Now cut back veneer, tw^o cross bandings and 
core of same size as face veneer, and glue together 



8 



as shown in Fig. 9. 

Table rails are easy to veneer and will serve as 
well as solid ones if they are made like Fig. 10. They 
can also be veneered with a single veneer, but rhey 




U/il ,,r^ ^ 




have a tendency to warp. Table legs glued up and 




Ffg-^ 




veneered with Vs" veneer (see Fig Z) have many 
points in their favor. 




The veneering of curved objects is more difficult. 
Figs. 12 and 13 show some mounts for small clocks. 
These must be band-sawed carefully so that the waste 
pieces can be used for cauls. Fig. 12 is the least 
difficult to veneer and the curved can be done in 



one operatioh. In this case, it is best to veneer ends 




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1 



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01 



first, then curved part and finally the face. Fig. 1 3 
is more difficult to saw out and to veneer. Tlie first 
cuts are made at Fig. 2, next cut from arrowhead on 
top to other arrowhead, then at Fig. 3. The veneering 
is done in this order : The veneer is let into kerf 
cut at lower arrowhead and glued in place. The 
ends, covetSjfillets and face are veneered in the order 
mentioned. 

In order to veneer pieces having curves of small 
radius, (Figs. 13 and 14 ) it is necessary to dampen 
and bend the veneer to the approximate shape of 
the object. This is readily done by dipping the 
veneer in water and bending it over a hot steam 
or gas pipe. If there is a little glue in the water, 
the veneer will keep its shape better. 

Arrowheads in Fig. 14 indicate the direction of 




11 



pressure to be applied when veneering. 

No dimensions are given for these clock sug- 
gestions because it will be found best to get the move- 
ments first and make the cases to fit them. Any 
jeweler can get movements from makers or whole- 
salers and these range in price from 75 cents up. 

Fig. 15 illustrates the method of veneering round 
columns. A piece of sheet metal, alumined or zinc 
with two strips of wood securely fastened to the 
edges is heated and clamped around the object to be 
veneered, leaving a little space where veneer laps 
without pressure. This later reheated, jointed 
and pressed down. 

Veneers range in price from a fraction of a cent 
to 80 cents per foot or more. Dealers are located in 
all large cities and they accumulate what are known 
as "dead samples," meaning only a few of the same 
log on hand. These can be purchased for one to two 
cents a foot. Cross banding costs from one-quarter 
cent up. Poplar core costs about one-half cent a foot. 

The Ohio Veneer Co., of Cincinnati, O., will be 

glad to supply veneers. J. B. Bernard Co., 422-30 

East 53rd St., New York City, will be pleased to 

supply lines, borders and insets at a reasonable price. 

Minimum of Equipment. 

No elaborate equipment is necessary and good 
results have been obtained on small articles, such 
as tray bottoms, fancy boxes, checker boards and 
picture Irames in school shops where clamps were 
the only means of pressure, also using cold glue, in 
our shop we have successfuly veneered stock up to 
24" by 36", using ordinary handscrews, hot glue 
and heating our cauls on the steam radiator. 
12 



Constituents of Veneered Work. 

Veneered work is usually found to consist of 
three or more layers, core, cross banding and face 
veneer. The core stock may be 3-16" or any thick- 
ness suitable to the purpose, if thin, it is usually 
rotary-cut poplar or birch. If thick, any of the fol- 
lowing woods are likely to be used in order mentioned: 
Chestnut, poplar, birch, soft pine, elm, or others 
prevalent in the locality. 




Core Stock. 
Good gluing and staying qualities are desirable 
in the core stock. All defects in same should be reme 
died large holes plugged and smaller ones filled 
with a paste made of silex and thin glue (charcoal, 
chalk and thin glue also makes a good filler). The 
filler must be dry and is then tooth planed level with 

13 



surface before veneering. 

Cross Banding. 
The cross banding (1-16" rotary cut poplar or 
birch) serves a double purpose — that of stiffening 
the object, preventing it from warping and shrinking 
and also forms a soft, even-grained surface for ad- 
herence of the veneer. 




Advantage of Good Blind Stock. 

On highly polished furniture, where the face 
veneer is laid on coarser wood, one can often see every 
line in the grain of the underlying wood — the softer 
spring growth will shrink more than the later growth- 
knots, being harder than the surrounding wood, will 
stand out especially prominent. The cross banding 




will act as a medium preventing this, altho if veneering 
work is not given time to dry thoroly before being 
cleaned up and finished, it is likely to show it later on 
in spite of cross banding. Many manufacturers 
glue a coarse cheesecloth under the face veneer, thus 
preventing the grain of the core wood showing thru 
14 



and also giving better gluing surface. However, this 
is only done on fine work. 

Joining and Taping of Veneers 
In case the crossbanding or facs veneer has to 
be joined, place veneers between two boards, held in 
place with a handscrew at each end, and fasten in 




bench vise for joining. Good veneer joints can be 
made with little effort by the use of a shooting board 
and a sharp jointer plane. The veneer is held flat 
the poard with a stick and joined. The pieces 



on 



are then fastened on a board with small brads (V2 
No. 20) so as to keep the joints tight and even while 
tape is glued on. For cross banding and thin core 




use cheesecloth tape; for face veneer, paper tape. 
The cloth tape on the cross banding is merely to 
prevent the joints from slipping apart or lapping, and 
a short strip glued across the joint at each end will 

15 



do the work. However, the leaving of a few patches 
of thin tape at intervals under the face veneer, if they 
are needed, does not affect the quality of the work. 
On face veneers tape all joints the entire length? 
also tape all split places to prevent futher rupture. 
In many cases ends as well are taped to insure safe 
handling. Cheesecloth and paper tape are on the 
market. The latter can be secured from any paper 
dealer, but the home-made article will serve all pur- 
r OSes. Use thin, tough paper cut in strips three- 
fourths to one inch wide. 




Remedying Defects in Face Veneer 

On fancy veneers (walnut root and crotch ma- 
hogany) there are often found small defects — little 
chips missing or tiny holes. These can be filled with 
a paste made of scrapings of the same wood and very 
thin glue. Coloring matter can be added to give 
16 



the filler any desired shade. Yellow ocher will be 
found to work well where a lighter shade is desired. 
This paste kept in a wide necked bottle and applied 
on the little defects before the veneer is laid will save 
subsequent labor. If the holes are of any size, pieces 
of veneer to match should be fitted in and bits of 
paper glued over. 

Cauls — Metal and Wood 

Among the important factors in veneering are 

the cauls wooden boards or metal sheets as the 

case may be — used for reheating the congealed glue 
and keeping the same in a liquid state until pressure 
has been applied. Metal cauls (aluminum or zinc) 
are by all means the best and most economical. 
They should be thick enough to serve the purpose 
stated above, so that if it takes a long time to get tfie 
job under pressure, the metal will be thick enough to 
retain its heat for that length of time. One-sixteenth 




17 



inch (1-16") thickness is satisfactory for all-around 
flat work; curved work requires more flexible metal — 
24- gaufi^e. The cauls in this case are backed up with 
wood and both metal and wood are heated. This is 
also done on flat work, when the metal is too thin 
to retain heat for the required length of time. The 
sooner the caul cools, after pressure is applied, the 
better. A new batch can then be put into the press. 
Overheated cauls are detrimental to good work, 
as they cause undue expansion of the veneer and the 
abscrption of glue into the wood, which, at times, 
leaves a starved joint. Keep cauls greased with 
tallow to prevent them from sticking to the veneer. 
W«-ocIcn ci.uis are satisfactory when made of material 




18 



that will stand repeated heating without warping. 
Chestnut, butternut and pine are such woods* In 
addition to greasing wooden cauls ,it is well to place 
newspaper between them and the veneer. 

The cauls should be of uniform thickness — about 
% inch. This will allow two cauls to be placed side 
by side in case a larger surface is to be veneered. If 
there are facilities for heating the cauls, as many 
pieces can be veneered as the press or handscrews will 
hold. If the radiator has to be depended upon for 
heating of cauls, it is not advisable to veneer more 

than one piece at a time. Composition boards have 
been tried for cauls, but are not finding much favor, 
but three-ply panels about % inch in thickness are 




19 



used in many places. 

Where band-sawed work is veneered, the waste 
pieces are used as cauls. This, of course, necessitates 
close band-sawing and, should th is not be entirely 
successful, the bumps must be taken out of the piece 
to be veneered, as well asthe waste part, and a thick- 
ness of felt placed between to equalize the pressure. 
The usual precautions should be taken to prevent 
the felt sticking to the veneer. Use a thin piece of 
zinc or paper. Such problems as the edges of round 
tables are invariably veneered by having a metal 
band drawn tightly around. This band is a little 
shorter than the circumfreence of object to allow for 
clamping. When everything is ready and the veneer 




20 



is in place, the band (now warm) is drawn up tightly. 
That part between blocks not pressed down, is later 
on softened up with water and a hot flat iron, and 
then rubbed down with a veneer hammer. 

Table rails, or other one-piece circular objects 
glued up of segments, are not hard to veneer if the 
work is gone about in the right way. In many cases 
the segments glued up are wide enough to allow y2 inch 
. to % inch to be cut away when trimmed to size. This 
waste part is used for caul. A board, thin enough to 
bend to the desired curve without breaking, can also 
be used for the same purpose. In either case the 
cauls must be heated and handscrews applied 4 inches 
to 6 inches apart, beginning at one point, going around 
and ending up at starting point. 

Glue. 

Glue used for veneering should be thicker than 
that used for ordinary jointing. The proportion of 
glue to water depends largely on the quality of glue — 
the better grades of glue will stand more water and 
give more glue of a given consistency, pound for 
pound, than the cheaper grades, thus proving really 
more economical, besides giving better all-round 
satisfaction. 

A veneer joint is not different from any other 
glue joint, except that the glue is spread over a larger 
surface and the veneer, being thin and easily affected 
by heat and moisture accompanying the gluing pro- 
cess, requires careful handling. 

The consistency of the glue used in jointing 
should, to a large extent, depend upon the absorbing 
qualities and texture of the wood used. It should 
be thin enough to flow readily into all cells and ducts 
in the surface of members forming the joint, yet it 

21 



should be of such a consistency that, when dry, it 
leaves sufficient solid glue matter to connect the cells 
of one member with those of the other, thus dove- 
tailing them together and forming a union that cannot 
be broken without rupturing the cell walls. 

Glue size is glue thinned with water until the 
presence of glue is hardly perceptible, when run from 
brush, between fingers. It is used preparatory to 
the veneering of curved work having more or less 
end grain and on very soft core stock, where the ven- 
eer glue is likely to be absorbed, thus leaving the joint 
without the proper binding substance. 

Things to Consider in Order to Obtain Good Results. 

Good results in veneering can be obtained by 
following these suggestions: Use glue of proper 
consistency; have the cauls just warm enough to do 
the work intended and get the batch under pressure 
with the least expansion of veneers. 

Good veneer work should be free from blisters 
and lumps — should have no minute checks, nor should 
it warp. The defects mentioned are hard to over- 
come after once created, but are easily prevented. 
Blisters may be caused by too thin glue, or not 
enough of glue; by overheated cauls, or by a 
combination of all. Unevenly distributed pressure 
may cause blisters, so will caul that is not warm 
enough to do the work. (See cauls.) The latter 
may also cause the surplus glue, not hot enough to 
be pressed out, to collect in some places under the 
veneer, thus forming high spots on the face veneer 
which, when leveled, will leave the veneer very thin — 
even running the danger of smoothing thru. 

Hair-line checks are usually caused by undue 
expansion of the face veneer. This veneer, glued 

22 



down and made part of the whole, has no chance to 
regain its former dimensions but the strain produced 
will cause the minute checks to occur. They are, in 
most cases, not visible before the piece has been 
finished and the damage done. The more expensive 
veneers are most likely to check — such as crotch 
mahogany, in which part of the grain runs almost 
perpendicular to the surface. This end grain will 
quickly absorb glue and expand, the strain in subse* 
quent contraction causing little checks. 

To prevent undue expansion, used rather thick 
glue and do not lay the veneer on the hot glue, but 

wait until the glue congeals. If necessary help this 

chilling action with a fan. Have cauls moderately hot 

and do not veneer too many pieces at a time, thus 

avoiding delay in getting the batch under pressure. 

Veneers are usually cut to extend about V2" 
outside the piece to be veneered. This is done 
to take care of possible sliding. If the veneer should 
be scant, a small brad fastened in the middle of each 
end and bent over will prevent sliding. However 
if the pressure is put on gradually, first in the middle 
to press out any surplus glue and then all around, 
there is little danger of sliding. It will be necessary 
to tighten the same screws more than once to insure 
even pressure. 

How Veneer Is Affected by Glue 

As hot glue is spread on thin veneer, the 
side receiving the glue will immediately begin to 
expand. This action is so rapid that in ten minutes 
the flat veneer may have formed a complete tube, due 
to one-sided expansion of the veneer. If let alone to 
dry, the tube will gradually flatten out and then begin 
to curl in the opposite direction and if left over night, 
the contraction of the glue will cause the tube to turn 
inside out. 

23 



It is evident, therefore, that the glue should be 
spread onto the thickest member of the veneer joint 
(the core). However, if cross banding is used, it is 
customary to spread it on both sides. The first 
side IS laid down on narrow strips (triangular shape 
prefereble) to avoid rubbing off glue on this side while 
the other side is being spread. One side of the cross 
banding is laid on the core; the other side receiving 
the face veneer. Each side of the cross banding 
must have sufficient glue to cover the adjacent 
unglued surface, with some to spare. The glue 
should be spread on — not painted^, as beginners have 
a tendency to do. The latter process may cause 
starved joints with resultant blisters. 

Hints for Prevention of Warping and Checking 
of Veneered Stock 

The thicker grades of sliced and rotary-cut veneer 
are more or less ruptured as the log revolves against 
the knife and it is important to lay such veneer with 
the ruptured side down; in this way avoiding small 
checks in the finished article. 

The warping of veneered stock may be traced to 
a number of causes. One or the other of those 
mentioned below may be responsible or perhaps a 
combination of them: 

The veneer on the back not being equal in 
strength and pulling power to the one on face. 

The caul on one side may have been warmer and 
caused more expansion than the one on the other side. 

'Hie grain in one veneer running diagonally may 
give a twist to a thin panel. 

In most cases, however, the warping is caused 
by the core being the strongest single member; it 
may warp the whole according to its tendencies. 
24 



If, as in thin panels, the core is rotary-cut Vs" poplar 
or birch, the tendency is to curl in the way it was cut 
from the log, but in many cases this can be used to 
advantage. Cores, built up of strips (laminated) 
will not warp, nor will quarter-sawed woods. Plain 
sawed wood will incorporate the same tendencies in 
a veneered job as when used by itself. 

Application of Glue and Pressure v' 

When about to veneer have sufficient glue' on 
hand to do the work intended. To run short is an 
exasperating situation. Also have enough cauls for 
the job — this means one more than the number of 
pieces to be veneered. The uppermost one must be 
thick enough (See Cauls) to distribute the pressure. 
If handscrews are used, the bottom caul must be 
thick also, for the same reason. Cauls, as a rule, 
are kept in uniform thickness. Added stiffness can 
be obtained by placing an extra caul on top, or if 
metal cauls are used, the last one is backed up with 




25 



wood. Have all cauls warmed and greased. Esti- 
mate the thickness of the batch to be veneered and 
adjust screws to the approximate size. The pressure 
is applied to cross pieces — common two by fours — 
put on top of the whole; on bottom also if handscrews 
are used. 

In case wide pieces are to be veneered by the use 
of handscrews, some precaution must be taken to 
insure pressure in the middle, where the handscrews 
will not reach. This is done by rounding the cross 
pieces in such a way that they will press on the center 
first. About one-quarter inch at the ends rounded 
to nothing will do the work. Alternate rounded 
and flat cross pieces, two of a kind opposing each 
other. This will insure even distribution of . the 




GLUE PRESS IN USE 
The sections and bottom are made of 3 in. beech which is unfit for 
ordinary use on account of checks, but strong enough for such a press. 
The cut shows the press in use without the screws, the pressure being ob- 
tained by blocks and wedges, but as soon as the boys in the machine shop 
have finished the nuts and screws, they will be hung 3 to each section. 

26 



pressure. 

The Care of Stock— Veneered and Otherwise 

It takes about three days for a batch of veneered 
work to dry. During this time, it should be piled on 
sticks, or the top piece covered to insure even drying. 
Stock, veneered on one side, should have that side 
covered, as slow drying will retard possible warping 
and checking. 

In this connection a few words, regarding the 




Sketch for one section of Veneer Glue Press. 



27 



general care of work under construction in school 
shops, will perhaps be helpful. As a rule the atmos- 
phere in the shop is dryer than the lumber used and 
until the moisture in the shop and lumber is equalized, 
the seasoning of the latter will go on. As the moisture 
evaporates, the lumber will shrink. A board, evenly 
exposed to air on both sides, should, according to 
theory, remain straight and it will in most cases if 
the lumber is quarter-sawed. Plain lumber, however, 
will warp under the same conditions, causing the 
b2u:"k side to be more or less concaVe, with a cor- 
responding bulge on the heart or pith side. Hence 
all such lumber should be put away with the pith 
sides exposed to the drying influence of the air. The 
pull, then caused by the shrinkage of those sides, is 





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Veneered Cabinet made in the Author's Classes. 



28 



opposed by the strong resistance of the bark sides 
and the lumber usually remains straight. 
The Rubbing Method. 

Another method of veneering — second in im- 
portance to the one previously mentioned — is the 
rubbing method, getting its name from the way the 
veneer is rubbed down and surplus glue rubbed out 
in a series of strokes with the broad pien of a veneer 
hammer. 

This process requires more skill than the pressure 
method and is done in the following manner: 

The core is tooth planed and glue sized. When 
dry, it is again tooth planed slightly to remove any 
little bumps. In the meantime the glue is prepared; 
two flat-irons heated; face veneer cut and dampened 
down and the glue is then applied to the entire sur- 
face of the core— if same is not too large. Larger 
surfaces are spread and rubbed down in sections. 
The face veneer is then put in place and one of the 
flat-irons applied to face veneer in middle of one end. 
The hot iron will reheat the glue on as large a surface 
as is convenient to rub down with the veneer hammer 
before the glue gets chilled. Proceed with the rubb- 
ing in this way: 

Hold the veneer in place with one> hand while 
hammer is rubbed on warmed spot with other hand. 
The first strokes are generally made from eis^ht inches 
to ten inches in toward the end. This should bring 
out som^ surplus glue, indicating that the conditions 
are right. If notj moisten veneer on bop and apply 
flat-iron until the desired result is obtained — removal 
of siur{:4us gkie and air. The veneer ^en will adhere 
t6 the core. As soon a^ this is accomplished in one 
placed, the veneer hammer is grasped in both hands — 

29 



the right pulling and steadying the handle, while the 
left is pressed down on the hammer head. The 
motions are with the grain and diagonal— all the while 
pressing the veneer down and the glue forward and to 
the sides. Apply the flat-iron and reheat another sec- 
tion, repeat and the job will be finished in a short time. 
Apply no more moisture than is needed and avoid 
stretching the veneer as it is rubbed down. The 
greatest drawback to this process is the expansion, 
with accompanying evils. While this method of 
veneering is mostly relegated to the fixing of imperfect 
glue-press work and special complex curve work, 
it is still used and therefore mentioned here. 

From the school shop standpoint, it has the 
pleasing feature of not requiring many additional 
tools. In fact, the only tools it will be necessary to 
acquire are two flat-irons and a veneer hammer. The 
remainder — chisel, square, T-bevel, and a straight 
edge — are found in most shops. Supplies needed are 
hot glue and veneer. 

Knife-cut mahogany is easiest to lay by this 
method; however, a skilled operator can lay any 
kind of thin veneer. 

In our shop the boys have successfully veneered 
several large floor lamps, employing the rubbing 
method. The lamps, in question were 5 feet high, 
had a slender tapering body, increasing in size to 
twelve inches at the base. Being too large for ac- 
curate band-sawing, the lamps were planed to proper 
curve and veneered by the foregoing method. 
Veneering of Frames 

Frames are readily veneered and comers mitered 
in this manner: Veneer the stiles first, then the rails 
— the veneer on the ends of latter overlapping the 

30 



former. Enough of the surplus veneer is then 
trimmed off on the inside of the frame to allow 
a rest for 45-degree angle, or T-bevel as the case may 
be, and the overlapping veneers are cut thru with a 
thin sharp chisel. The waste part of the topmost 
veneer is removed without effort, but in order to re- 




31 



move waste part of underljring veneer, it is necessary 
to reheat this spot with the flat-iron, turn up the end 
and remove underneath waste piece, putting a little 
glue in its place. The turned-up end is now rubbed 
in place and the joint is taped to prevent opening 
while drying . A mitre of this kind is bound to fit 
as the two members are cut at the same time. 

Friezes and borders of panels; drawers, etc. 
are done in the*same manner. 

One advantage of this method is that the work 
is visible at all times. 




How to Make Concave and Convex Picture 
Mouldings. 

The contracting pull of a one-side veneered 
surface is something that everyone doinsj this work 
and giving it some thought cannot help becoming 
familiar with. 

It is sometimes taken advantage of in making 
mouldings when a cove is desired. The process is as 
follows: 

A thin strip — 14" of some soft, pliable wood — 
is veneered. The veneer previously has been ex- 
panded by the application of water. In drying the 

32 



veneer will contract and in doing so will turn the 
core from a flat piece into a hollow cove. This, as 
previously mentioned, is nothing new, but to turn a 
flat picture moulding of good sized dimensions into 
^ handsome convex curved one is a novelty that 
iL was our good fortune to discover. 




The moulding in question, intended to frame a 
28"x40" picture was6"wide, li/4"thickat outer edge, 
tapering to Ys" at inner. A poplar plank 2" thick 
was the stock used. This, with others, had recently 
arrived from the lumber yard and was dry, from the 
yard people *s standpoint, which means dry enough 
to work but containing considerable moisture. 

This plank was surfaced on four sides and then 
allowed to stand in the shop for a week whi le the 
veneer was prep ared. As the steam heat was on, 
the surface of the plank dried at that time. It was 
then re-sawed at an angle, giving two mouldings of 

the desired shape. The re-sawed surfaces were planed 
and veneered on the sides that had been allowed to 

33 



dry, with striped mahogany, the grain running at 
right angles to the core. The next day all hand 
screws were taken ofi, the surplus glue removed and 
the two mcuiGings put away to dry, held by a C 
cl mp in ea ] end, veneered faces together and the 
re- sawed surfaces exposed to dry, with resultant 
shrinking and warping of those surfaces. !n about a 
month, the mouldings had aquired their permanent 
shape, which on the face r>hov/ed a prettry convex 
curve, being mere pronounced at the thinner part of 
the tapered moulding. 

Inlaying cf Lines and Borders. 
The inlaying of lines and borders on veneered 

work is comparatively easy. A tool, based on the 
principle of the double-pointed marking gauge, will 
do the work. The block should have a long face 
resting on the edge of object to be cut. This will 
insure a straight cut, if held firmly against the edge 
as it is moved along. The cutting points are the 
most important. They should be made to cut across 
the grain, as well as with the grain, and knife points 
will be found to do the best work. After the veneer 
is cut thru, the strip is easily removed. Especially 
is this true if the cuts are made before the face veneer 
is completely dry. In the latter case a narrow chisel 
can be inserted under the cut veneer and the strip 
will come out in its entire length and the line or 
border glued in its place — either pressed down or 
rubbed in place with a veneer hammer. 

Small centerpieces, such as sunbursts, sea- 
shells and wreaths are sold inserted in squares or 
rectangular pieces of veneer. These can be trimmed 
to any desired shape, after which they are laid in 
position and scribed around; the background is then 

34 



removed and the insert glued in place under pressure. 

Furniture factories, using la;: e quantities of 

lines — plain black and white -usually cut their own 




Veneered Music Cabinet, 
from logs of ebony and holly, using fine circular saws. 
Fancy borders of rare colored woods — natural and 
dyed — are purchased from manufacturers making a 
specialty of this kind of work. The borders come 
in yard lengths and retail for four cents a yard and up. 
The same manufacturers will also furnish lines from 
1-16" to Vi" in black and white woods, natural or 
dyed, as well as celluloid, brass and copper lines. 

35 



The most popular single border consists of white 
lines between two darker ones or vice versa. This 
can readily be made by gluing three veneers, having 




the desired colors, together and sawing it in strips. 
In this way a number of more or less intricate de- 
signs in borders can be made up by those having the 
time, inclination eind material. The latter can 
easily be purchased. 

Marquetry 

The art of reproducing flowers, fruits and other 
forms of nature, as well as objects of human design, 
is called marquetry. The materials used are colored 
woods of varied kinds in there natural state or dyed, 
besides shells smd thin metals. 

The marquetry cutter must be a person of great 
skill and artistic ability in order to work out the 
36 



pictures true to life in such unresponsive materials. 
The work is done by tracing the design on the veneer 
which is to form the background. The other veneers 
to form the design are glued onto the back of the 
former, with paper between. They are then cut with 
a marquetry cutter^s saw — a machine resembling a 
foot-power scroll saw, adjusted with a tilting table 
or a tilting saw. This is to take care of the space 
left by the saw cutting its way thru the materials. 
As very fine saw blades are used, it does not take 




Veneered Marquetry Panel. 

much of a tilt to close kerf when design slips into place. 

After being sawed the design is removed and 
shaded. This is done by dipping the piece in hot sand 
and scorching until the desired depth is obtained. 
Afterward the background and all pieces forming 
the design are assembled and glued onto a soft piece 
of cardboard and the marquetry is now ready for 
the market. 

Amateurs can do a little experimental work along 
this line by embellishing objects with simple con- 
ventional design. A fine scroll saw can be used; 
circular parts can be punched, or bored out with a 
Forstner bit. Lay all marquetry with paper side up. 
When dry after two days, remove papers by water 
soaking and scraping. 

Marquetry work — borders and lines — rightly ap- 
plied add distinction and beauty to any object. It 
sets off and give life to surfaces that, without any 
embellishment, would appear flat and monotonous. 

37 



As the work itself requii'es considerable skill in 
execution and application, the presence of it stamps 
the article as valuable. 

Displaced and overloaded application of this 
kind of work will cheapen the appearance of any 
object, as will inharmonious and loud effects in color- 
ing and outline. 

Sand Box Method of Veneering 

This method was formerly used for work having 
complex curves, but is now obsolete. 




Veneered Tray 

To veneer by this process, fill with sand a box of 
proper size for the work to be done. Press piece 
into the sand until an impression is made. The sand 
IS then slightly heated, after which glue and veneer 
are applied and the whole pressed into the imprint 
previously made in sand box, and clamped down. 

Methods of Cutting Veneer 

A variation in thickness is often found in fancy 
veneers when they come from the mcinufacturers. 
In order to insure even pressure when laying, it is 
necessary to build up the thin veneers with paper or 
thin cardboard until uniformity is reached. 

38 





Inlayed Pieces made in the Woodward High School. 

Face veneers for cabinet work in the market are 
cut from 28 to 30 sheets to an inch, the thicker grades 
to be preferred as they will allow for smoothing off. 
As many sa 160 sheets to an inch are sliced from 

Spanish cedar. This thin stock is used for the veneering 
of cigar boxes. 

The slicing method of cutting veneers is perhaps 
the most common. The steamed square log is clamped 
in position, the knife comes down vertically and cuts 
off a slice with a shearing cut, after which the carriage 
moves the log in position for a new cut and so on until 
the entire log is disposed of, with the exception of 
that part held by steel dogs to the carriage. 

Rotary cut veneer, so called when round log is 
held between centers, revolves against the stationary 
knife and a continuous sheet is turned off. Another 
method is when the round log is cut in two and the 
halves, one at a time, revolve against the knife, pro- 
ducing a semi-circular cut on the round side of the 
halved log. 

39 




The above methods require boiHng of the logs 
before cutting. This, however, is not done when 
the logs are sawed into veneers, as most of the 
thicker grades are. 

Fancy root veneers are sometimes so undulated 
that they cannot be matched and joined, nor laid 
without first having been dampened down and pressed 
between hot wooden cauls. This will take out most 
of the kinks and make the veneer easy to work. 

Specially constructed circular saws of large di- 
ameter are used in veneer sawing. These saws waste 
very little lumber in cutting. They are made with a 

40 



large iron disk, which is quite thick at the ceinter; 
the cutting rim is fastened to this in sections with 
machine screws. The rim, itself, is hollow ground 
to 1-32" at the cutting point --1-32" therefore repre- 
sents the amount of waste for each cut. It is evident 
that the saw must be perpendicular on the side 
towards the log ; the increasing thickness from teeth 
to arbor all occurs on the outside. As many as 
twenty sheets to an inch are cut by this method. 

Veneering has made it possible for us to enjoy 
beautiful furniture; it has a place of its own and 
needs no apology for its existence. 

People are beginning to realize that veneered 
articles do not necessarily mean cheap articles. In 
fact, a built-up panel will, in most cases, cost more 
than the solid one. Matched panels of fancy figure 
would be entirely out of the question in solid wood; 
the changing structure of the log for each succeeding 
cut would forbid that, even if it were possible to 
build furniture of wood with the grain running in all 
directions. 
Preparing Veneered Surfaces for Sanding and 

Finishing. 
In two or three days after the veneer has been laid, 
the piece or pieces are taken out of the press and al] 
paper tape and glue are removed and the surface 
cleaned off. This is accomplished with sponge, hot 
water and scrapers suitable for the work on hand. 
This work of cleaning deserves more attention than 
it receives in many places because the hot water will 
not only remove paper and possible surface glue, but 
will shorten the time of subsequent sanding and 
lengthen the life of the sandpaper. The warm water 
will show up blisters, if any, by causing a bulge on 

42 



the face veneer wherever that does not firmly adhere. 
Of course, this is not of much importance in the school 
shop; in the factory, however, where production is the 
aim, it is worth looking after. 

In factories various sanding machines are doing 
almost the entire work of preparing veneered surfaces 
for the finishing room, but where the work is to be 
done by use of hand, scrapers (veneer and cabinet) 
will give the best results. The skilled cabinet-maker 
can and will use a plane for smoothing veneered 
surfaces, but that is more than can be expected of a 
boy in the school shops. The scraper will be found 
best for him, even then the work must be done system- 
atically, that is, the work must be started on one end 
or side, cleaning this off with the necessory number of 
strokes, proceeding to the other end or side, remov- 
ing just enough wood to accomplish the object, which 
is to prepare the surface for sanding. This is then 
done in the customary manner. 

Where water stain is to be used, a sponging down 
and sanding off of the object, before applying the 
stain, is worth while. It raises the grain, as well as 
all compressed places, dented in handling. The raised 
grain and dents are taken care of in the final sanding. 
This will leave a surface that is but slightly affected 
by water or alkaline stain as far as raising the grain is 
concerned. Little or no sanding of the stained surface 
is then necessary-this going far to a good finish. 

As mahogany is and probably will be the most 
popular wood for the small objects, that can be made 
in school shops, a few words regarding the staining of 
mahogany will perhaps not be out of place. 

The author has for years been using potassium 

43 



bicromate to obtain the effect of a^e in this wood. 
This can be made in any shade desired according \o 
the strength of the solution. Crush the potassium bi- 
cromate crystals or salts to a powder and dissolve 
this in warm water. It is well to experiment on a sam- 
ple before going ahead with the work of staining be- 
cause the strength of the solution cannot be judged 
from the^appearance of the stain, which in itself has 
but a slight tinge of color- reddish yellow. If the 
maple, when dry, is found too dark, add more water; 
if too light, add more of the potassium bicromate. 
In order to get a definite idea as to how the stain will 
appear when finished proceed with sample just as you 
would when finishing the object itself. 

The following method has been found to give 
splendid results: After a liberal coat of stain has 
been applied and the surplus wiped off, the object is 
allowed to dry and in doing so the mahogany will 
turn dark according to the strength of the solution. 

When dry, rub in a coat of raw linseed oil, mixed 
with a little coal oil- -these oils having previously been 
allowed to extract the coloring matter of alcanet root 
which gives off a beautiful red color. The oils brighten 
the wood and brings out the grain. This can then be im- 
mediately sanded slightly, if that is found necessary, 
after which the object is wiped clean and given a coat, 
of white shellac. Now the final effect of the stain 
can be seen and appreciated. To complete the finish 
apply five or six coats of thin white shellac, allowing 
time for drying between coats. This is finally rubbed 
down to a smooth finish with a rubbing pad, using 
powdered pumice stone and rubbing oil. 

The success of the above finish on mahogany 

45 



is due to the simplicity of application and the fact that 
the ingredients entering into same have little or no 
color in themselves. It really does not matter if the 
boy makes a few extra strokes with the brush, as this 
will not affect the finish. 

If the object is inlaid with lines or borders of lighter 
woods, the potassium bicromate stain will not change 
the color to any extent. It will give it a yellow tinge, 
which is not at all objectionable. 

FINISH 










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